A lot happened this year in cybersecurity. The good news is that cybersecurity is more mainstream than ever before. The bad news is that the tools and tactics used by hackers are more accessible than ever.

Here are six things we learned about cybersecurity in 2018, with visual aids.

1. Tales from the Crypto: Bitcoin threat emerges

One of the advantages of having access to DNS data for thousands of DNS Firewall customers is our ability to see trends and patterns in the threats they are experiencing. In early 2018, we noticed a 115 times increase in the number of queries from Bitcoin miners. While some Bitcoin miners are legit, hackers are now using this technique to hijack corporate systems to mine cryptocurrency for them.

3. Hack the planet: Cyber attacks intensify.

While it is tempting to declare that 2018 was the year when cyberattacks became ubiquitous, perhaps we just finally started paying attention. Even if we restrict ourselves to only Canadian hacks, the list is pretty long. Here are a few interesting ones that all Canadians heard about in the headlines:

Simplii/BMO: "This is the first big public bank hack in Canada. Much like any new Batman movie, no matter how awful it is, it gets attention."

5. I know what you did last summer: Privacy laws strengthened

The year has been littered with headlines about privacy breaches and abuses of power from some of the world's most powerful brands (*cough* Facebook). While joining the #DeleteFacebook campaign might be one solution, another great one is having stronger regulations about what these companies can do with your data. Offering similar protections as Europe's GDPR but with smaller fines, the changes to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) go a long way to protecting the privacy of Canadians. Expect to see more on this subject in 2019 as many are already calling for the regulations to get even stronger.

6. Hack the vote. Cyberattacks ramp up toward 2019 election

As the 2019 Canadian federal election approaches, attention is already turning to how to prevent interference from foreign hackers. It seems inevitable that the same Russian bot army that (allegedly) swayed the last U.S. election is going to be a factor in Canada. In fact, the federal government has already taken steps to help prevent this scenario with the passing of bill C-76, which some critics claim does not go far enough to protect Canada's electoral system.

Spencer Callaghan

Spencer Callaghan manages product communications for CIRA. He is a writer, former journalist, and has experience in technology, non-profit, and agency environments throughout his career. His areas of expertise include content marketing, social media, branding, and public relations.

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